White Sox, Twins return to normalcy after doubleheader (Jun 06, 2018)
Wednesday marks a return to normalcy for the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox.
After splitting a doubleheader Tuesday, the two teams will return to action Wednesday night when they resume their four-game series at Target Field.
The Twins are hoping to get Logan Morrison back in the lineup Wedneaday. Minnesota's first baseman sat out both games of the doubleheader because of back stiffness.
"He just had a little issue with his back," Twins manager Paul Molitor said of Morrison, who has five hits in his last 34 at-bats. "We're just going to have to monitor and see what it turns into. I'm hoping it's a short-term deal.
Miguel Sano started both games at first in place of Morrison and went 1-for-7.
"I know he said today after the game on Sunday he felt a little bit stiff," Molitor said. "Wasn't too worried about it but just didn't have any improvement over the last couple days."
Right-hander Jake Odorizzi gets the start for Minnesota, which had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 6-3 loss in the nightcap.
Odorizzi is coming off his worst start of the season when he allowed eight runs -- seven earned -- over just 3 2/3 innings in a 9-8 loss to Cleveland on Thursday.
Odorizzi allowed a three-run homer to Francisco Lindor and a solo homer to Jose Ramirez in the fourth inning Thursday. In his last three starts, Odorizzi has allowed five homers.
"They hit some mistakes," Odorizzi said. "I got to two strikes on a lot of people and I feel like and they were kind of looking for some of the stuff I threw, I guess. They were on it."
It marked just the 12th time in 138 career starts that Odorizzi failed to get through four innings.
"It's going to happen from time to time in your career," Odorizzi said. "Just move on from it. Remember it.' It's funny to pass that knowledge along to him, and now I have to look myself in the mirror. I've been through it before. We all have as pitchers."
Odorizzi is 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in four career starts against Chicago.
The White Sox have won three of five after dropping six of seven.
After Eduardo Escobar hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning off Nate Jones to give Minnesota a 4-2 win in the opener Tuesday, Jose Abreu hit a two-run homer in a four-run first inning for Chicago in the nightcap.
The White Sox will send out a familiar face to Minnesota fans as Hector Santiago takes the mound. Santiago, who made 26 appearances with Minnesota in the previous two seasons, is 1-2 with a 5.10 ERA in 16 outings (six starts) this season.
He last started on May 26 when he allowed three runs (two earned) and seven hits in five innings of an 8-4 win at Detroit. Santiago is 1-2 with a 6.59 ERA in six starts this season.
One of those starts occurred May 5 against the Twins in Chicago when he allowed eight runs and six hits in 3 1/3 innings. Santiago allowed a homer to Eddie Rosario and issued six walks in that start.
"I pulled a lot of fastballs, which is weird for me because usually if I miss then I'm missing up and away or up and in to a lefty," Santiago said after his last outing against Minnesota. "So little different kind of scenario there, I was trying to figure out which way to go, trying to make that adjustment, and I just never figured that out."
Santiago is 3-3 with a 5.73 ERA in 11 appearances (seven starts) against Minnesota.
The double-header began a difficult stretch for the White Sox, who will play 21 games in a span of 20 days and will not have a day off until June 25.
"We're going to play a lot of games," Chicago manager Rick Renteria said. "Every game's a test. It's the test they've been studying for their whole lives. They'll have some good results, some bad results."
